Just Do It

[ravensgrove]

I've had a weekend of Just Do Its. I have processed rabbits before with the husband here. Last night did a set all on my own and tanned hides, no help. He's in NY just now for the Army. Then had my sister farm folks over today. I have been the official holder of pigs for a couple go rounds at their place as they castrated. Today they came over and he held, while she talked me through it and I did all the scalpel work myself.

Which brings me to my point. We reskill constantly, because we do beleive bad things are coming down the pike and want to more than anything change our mindsets to a "can do" mindset prior to shtf. Especially as a woman I think its imperative I learn to do things without my husband, just incase, and particularly in my situation where he is frequently deployed et all.

For those of you ladies here: take note. And for you men folk: are you encouraging your ladies to know how to do all the things you would do should shtf and you not be available?

[LUNCHBOX]

Very well said.

[ladyhk13]

You are very lucky (I think ???) to be able to do those things. My husband would not allow us to have pigs...I had to slowly talk him into some chickens. I'm not sure if I could actually kill and defeather and gut a chicken or any other animal. We have a lot of deer here, probably 20-30 every day in our back yard that my husband feeds corn to which is really nice to watch but since I don't eat venison they don't fear us. DH would eat it if needed but he would have to shoot it. I consider them pets. Having said that, I could probably shoot an elk, bear or bison for food. BUT still don't think I could skin it. DH has no problems hunting for food if needed so I do know as long as he's around we'll be ok. Casterate something? Brand it? Probably not. I think I would have to see if there was something else I could do to contribute. It would make me cry...I can't even watch those stupid Humane Society commercials-everyone in my family knows as soon as one of those come on they better hit the button to change the channel right away or it rips my heart out. What a sap.
Luckily for me I have a sister that is willing to do all that stuff! Atta girl!!

[ravensgrove]

Lady,

Once upon a time, I was just like you. That's the point. I think its very important you break those barriers now, before shtf and you have a much harder faster learning curve.

Once upon a time, I yelled at my in laws for paying our son a quarter to go out and salt slugs. Oh the cruelty of it all.
Last night (13 years later) I "cold blood murdered" two rabbits and deskinned them, and today ate them as stew and have their pelts drying in my bathroom.

Never underestimate yourself, or cease to dare to imagine yourself anew.

[ladyhk13]

Raven you are so sweet. I know you are right but all I can see with rabbits is my pet that I had as a kid...his name was Charlie and my mom gave him away to some people down the street. They ate him. I, nor she knew at the time that that's what they were going to do with him. I loved that bunny. I have never eaten rabbit in my life. I think I would be better off a vegaterian. I have no problem paying someone to do that kind of stuff either if it came down to it. I will trade or work it off or pay cash....I just hope nothing happens to my husband before me! I really need to stock up on more meats....can, can, can...that will be my motto all winter!

[The Stig]

For those of you ladies here: take note. And for you men folk: are you encouraging your ladies to know how to do all the things you would do should shtf and you not be available?

Raven, excellent question. You are right. As men, we are doing our wives a great disservice if we simply take care of everything ourselves and never let them experience life.

Because I travel so much for work, and to avoid her becoming utterly clueless about how the world works, I often have Mrs Stig take care of something that would be considered "husband duty". You need your oil changed? Here's the phone number for the dealership. There's a discrepancy on the credit card bill? I'm really busy, could you give them a call and work it out? I'm going to be in Germany for a week, can you trim up the grass around the front of the house while I'm gone?

Little things like that. The last thing I want is Mrs Stig to be one of those pathetic women who can't do anything for herself should I be hit by a bus.

[bacpacker]

I try and get Mrs Bacpacker to do different things, for knowledge as much as anything. She can do most anything in the garden or vinyard. Other than heavy lifting or digging.
Here the problem, to start she's pretty small 4-11 and due to a bad car wreck 20+ years ago has very little strength in her hands and arms. If she tries to really exert a lot of force doing things (and she does) she is in a lot of pain for a few days. It's really not worth having her go thru that for a teaching lesson. We know if it came down to her having to do some stuff like that we are hurting anyway. She will do what she has to, but will likely be out of comission for a while after that. It's just something we deal with day to day, same if SHTF.
Great thread and I agree totally with your point. We just work around it as we can.

[Stormfeather]

I agree here as well, Mrs Stormfeather pretty much does everything I do. I think she would be ok if I ended up taking a dirt nap during SHTF. Shes done pretty much everything Ive done as far as prepping goes and she knows how to handle a gun just fine..one can only hope i guess!

[Kodiak]

Excellent topic! Ive been trying to get the wife acclimated to firearms for awhile now, and finally talked her into shooting the 9mm a few days ago. I occasionaly go over reloading and chambering drills with her so she is not completely lost when handleing a gun. We walked outside and i refreshed the basics of firearm safety with her, then i pointed out a stump and got her ready to fire. I told her when she was ready to gently squeeze the trigger, then all hell broke loose. As the gun went bang, her eyes got as big as saucers and she gave me a terrified, get this thing out of my hand look. I tried to calm her down but it was to late, she wanted nothing to do with the gun. She told me she didnt think it was going to be that loud (i forgot to get her hearing protection in all of my excitement about her finally agreeing to shoot a gun). On the plus side, she didnt drop the gun, but now im afraid we're back to square one.

[ladyhk13]

I think I may be better with an intruder than having to shoot bambi. I have my H&KP2000 9mm, SKS, and .308 Savage bolt action (DH even ordered that one left handed for me....awesome, but it has a little kick). I guess I feel that it would be easier to shoot something that was a danger to me or mine instead of an innocent. I can reload my own 9mm but need DH to teach me the formulas for my rifles. Just haven't had time. If nothing else I can reload for people if SHTF.
I know a lot of man skills like carpenty, a little plumbing, masonry, tile, but like bacpacker's wife I'm only 4'11" too so there are some things that physically I can't do either from size or prior injuries from mainly sports and stuff. But we have to remember that if we have a MAG we won't be working alone, we canto things together and where one man could do something it may take 2 gals...oh well, we could still get it done. Women are very resourceful and innovative. Some are ok with blood and guts and others are better at canning the foods or growing them or making quilts to keep people up north or out in the field warm....we will all have a place. I have to have faith in that because I know that there is no way I alone can learn how to do everything. If I thought I had to know it all and do it all by myself I might as well just give up now.

[bacpacker]

Great point about trying to do it all. Just from my work expereince there is no way one person can learn and retain, let alone be good at that many things as we will need if things go bad.

[ladyhk13]

I tell ya what though, Ravensgrove is the woman of the month! She rocks!!!

[Sparrow]

You are very lucky (I think ???) to be able to do those things. My husband would not allow us to have pigs...I had to slowly talk him into some chickens. I'm not sure if I could actually kill and defeather and gut a chicken or any other animal. We have a lot of deer here, probably 20-30 every day in our back yard that my husband feeds corn to which is really nice to watch but since I don't eat venison they don't fear us. DH would eat it if needed but he would have to shoot it. I consider them pets. Having said that, I could probably shoot an elk, bear or bison for food. BUT still don't think I could skin it. DH has no problems hunting for food if needed so I do know as long as he's around we'll be ok. Casterate something? Brand it? Probably not. I think I would have to see if there was something else I could do to contribute. It would make me cry...I can't even watch those stupid Humane Society commercials-everyone in my family knows as soon as one of those come on they better hit the button to change the channel right away or it rips my heart out. What a sap.
Luckily for me I have a sister that is willing to do all that stuff! Atta girl!!

I understand your sentiment. I was a vegetarian for over 12 years, ... starting at the very young age of 11 in protest to the animal abuse which is the common methodology of factory farming. But what you have to remember is this:

Hunting, and raising your own animals for food - and giving the animals in each case a swift and humane death - is not cruel or abuse in any way.

If anything, think of how LUCKY the animals you care for are - to be cared for by you and not having a short, horrible life and death at a factory farm. When you think about your farm animals in that way, your conscience is clear when the time for their death comes - and a healthy meal for your family is made.

Raven in a way is my hero, she is amazing in her treatment of her animals, and everything else she does as well.

[ladyhk13]

This is going to sound so stupid....a few years ago there was a young buck in our yard that had been badly hurt by another buck and had to be put down. My DH shot him and I cried and cried. Before he took him down to our creek for nature to take it's course I had to go and put my hands on him and say a prayer for him. I feel like if I had to kill an animal for my food I would have to touch it and thank it for it's life and cry. Just writing this and thinking about it makes me want to cry. See? I'm such a sap.

[Sparrow]

This is going to sound so stupid....a few years ago there was a young buck in our yard that had been badly hurt by another buck and had to be put down. My DH shot him and I cried and cried. Before he took him down to our creek for nature to take it's course I had to go and put my hands on him and say a prayer for him. I feel like if I had to kill an animal for my food I would have to touch it and thank it for it's life and cry. Just writing this and thinking about it makes me want to cry. See? I'm such a sap.

I have killed an animal only once, it is not easy. Women by nature are more sensitive when doing this, after-all men have 1000s of years behind them being the primary hunter in human history (women gatherers).

Some might scoff and say: no, no women are equal as killers now-a-days. But as a women, I feel this isn't so ... and I am probably in the top 10 % of women who have an ability to kill.

People who are spiritual, like you, will find comfort in respecting the animals life and thankful for their meat. Which in a perfect world, everyone would feel this way - and not just have a disdain for everything and a sense of entitlement accompanied with no respect.

On a side note: I am part of the horse community that is petitioning the Canadian Government to close the horse slaughter plants here in Canada. There is no respect in the actions of those who brutally slaughter working animals/ companion animals for meat and huge profits.

As a spiritual person I would have said a prayer as well.

[dragon5126]

I am very reserved in what I harvest for meat. I have passed on game and been insulted by others for it. It isnt that I'm "weak kneed" or soft hearted, quite the opposite. But I've been raised with a respect for the animals that I use for food. In the same manner I wouldnt arbitrarily destroy a source of vegitarian nutrition either. I would have a hard time raising hogs and rabbits for food in a situation where it wasn't a matter of necessity, where as beef are less personable and wouldnt be an issue, just as fowl are. Hunting rabbit, no problem... It's ironic how when we deal with the animals in different situations it jades our view points. The Fat Rabbit that lives in my front room insists on sitting in my lap, and laying on it's back and getting it's belly rubbed while watching tv, a stunt my oldest daughter taught it. I've had piglets try to play tag with me. We have a couple goats that live at the horse ranch as pets. It's ironic that these are prime sources of protien...

As for saying a prayer, well, even though it was "just an animal" God DID put it here to serve a purpose, one way or another, so saying a prayer is always apropriate, to thank God for the food and the life that was given to help sustain those that take partin the meal it serves. It is only right.

[izzyscout21]

As for saying a prayer, well, even though it was "just an animal" God DID put it here to serve a purpose, one way or another, so saying a prayer is always apropriate, to thank God for the food and the life that was given to help sustain those that take partin the meal it serves. It is only right.

It is totally appropriate to give thanks to God andthe animal. I do it every time I take game. Brother deer made it possible for me to eat.

I like this thread. I'm very encouraged when I see all the gals with the RTFU attitude, especially when it comes to doing the gruesome stuff.

[ravensgrove]

I also give gratitude to every animal that is harvested on our farm. We were taught to do this, by my father who is Native American (Sihasapa, Lakota). I actually oddly enough have a harder time hunting...which doesn't that seem odd? I have no problem at this point with harvesting anything on our place...and they all have names, many of them were hand reared in the house or tended to in the house after some ailment or another during the course of their lives. I have very intimate relationships with all of my livestock. I have a harder time killing a wild thing, which is out and about in its own world living its life. Than I do harvesting stock, which have been raised and bred specifically for this purpose and wouldn't exist at all had they not been bred to eat. For me I think its the death of the freedom they possess as wild things. If that makes any sense to anyone but me.

I wanted to add: I just harvested two cows that thought they were dogs. So...species really doesn't matter to how personable a critter is, it has more to do with how much socialization they are given and what we project on them as humans as their "nature". I have known rabbits that had zero personality, I have known others that are personality plus. Same with goats. We have quite a few goats. Some have very distinct personalities, some have next to none.